As I sat at the breakfast table, mountain air slipping in through the window, she placed a plate in front of me with one whole piece of something which resembled both a fruit and vegetable, along with tomato chutney. “What is this?” I asked, with my eyes scanning to place if I had ever eaten it before. I touched it—it was soft—but I still couldn’t figure out what it was. It was pale yellow in colour and looked like a mix of guava and cucumber.
“It’s a vegetable called squash, we boil and eat it with tomato chutney, try it,” Yeshey the host at the homestay that I was staying in Gangtok, told me. Knowing that I was vegan, she was kind enough to prepare something local and interesting for me to taste every day—something I would never find back in the plains.
Team Fruit or Team Vegetable?
I took one bite and chewed it slowly, allowing my tongue to decipher its taste. My tongue searched for something familiar to hold on to but there was nothing definite. It’s one of those vegetables like lauki (bottle gourd), that on its own doesn’t have a distinct memorable taste.
Yeshey watched me with a slight smile on her face, waiting to see and hear my reaction. I told her that I liked it as it was refreshingly simple. She said that it was available in plenty in Sikkim, so she wanted to give me a taste of what they had at home during winters as they ate mostly seasonal vegetables.
After a few bites, I could finally say that it tasted like a mix of potato, cucumber and zucchini. It felt light on the stomach and with the dash of chutney, it was the right combination.
It made me realise how the local food is shaped by its geography. In a cold climate people lean towards boiled, simple to cook food, which is made to settle rather than overwhelm.
An Unexpected Vegan Find
The next unusual food that I got to taste was laphing. It’s white jelly-like and cut into thick strips like French fries. It’s made with mung bean or pea starch. I saw that it was being sold in packets in the Sunday market accompanied by a spicy sauce and was quickly getting sold out.
When I asked Yeshey if they made it at home, she told me that it was easier to buy it from the market.
Laphing is originally a Tibetan dish and because Sikkim has a huge Tibetan influence, it has been adapted here and is hugely popular. You can see this influence of Tibet and Nepal across most of the food here.
When I tasted it, on its own, it felt almost empty. It felt starchy and slippery in the mouth, like cold noodles. It’s designed as a carrier of flavour, that’s why it’s usually paired with a sauce made with chilli oil, garlic, soy, and vinegar. So, the moment I ate it with the sauce, its sharp, spicy flavour hit me loud and clear, it was impossible to ignore. That combination became addictive with each following bite.
Like squash, it’s the right accompaniment that gave the dish its character.
A Different Kind of Vegan Bite
The third unusual vegan food that I had for the first time in Sikkim was watercress, a plant that grows in streams.
What Yeshey had made with a lot of love was a soup made with watercress. She told me that she made it by stir frying fresh watercress with garlic, onions and then boiling it into a light broth and finally blending it well. It’s frequently prepared in the homes in Sikkim as it is a nutritious soup and is known to be immunity-boosting and has detoxifying properties. Usually, churpi which is the local cheese is added to it. But because I am vegan, Yeshey didn’t add it.
This is a favourite winter soup in European countries. When cooked its taste resembles that of mustard greens. Its fresh green colour is pleasing to the eyes, and it tasted like it belonged to the mountains, slightly wild, like it had travelled straight from a stream to the bowl.
Since I was in Sikkim in October, just when the winter had just started showing its sharp coldness, it was a perfect soup for supper – warm, nourishing and comforting. A bowl full of it easily kept me full for the night.
What Stayed with Me
These dishes stayed with me not just because they were new, but also because of the care with which Yeshey had made them for me, especially because I was vegan. It showed me the hospitality culture that is deeply ingrained there.
What also stayed with me was that none of these three dishes were loud or indulgent. Their simplicity is what stood out. They made me realise how much I rely on strong flavours to feel something. But here, I found myself slowing down, taking longer bites, paying attention in a way I usually don’t.
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Looks awesome – tempting.
Take me there Shinu 🤪